EAST PEORIA, Ill. – Leaders in East Peoria got a look at what the future headquarters for the city’s police department could look like.
At a working session meeting Tuesday evening, design plans from FGM Architects from Chicago presented the proposed design for the new police station.
The station will be located at Camp and Clock Tower, with a groundbreaking planned for October.
Project Designer Louise Kowalczyk told commissioners some of the inspirations behind the design, developed through numerous meetings with staff.
“One thing that kept coming up was that the facility should feel safe and secure. We wanted it to have a sense of pride for both the police department and the community. We wanted it to fit in with the civic district, kind of reflect the buildings you already have,” Kowalczyk said.
The two-story building will have a brick exterior with signage on the front of it. Mayor John Kahl said it felt important to have the signage as a point of pride for the city and the police department.
The building is designed to have distinct areas between where the public can go and where staff can be. The first floor is planned to have a 60-person meeting and training room that can also be used as a community room. The back portion of the first floor will have evidence rooms, and a secure area where police can drop off people taken into custody.
The second floor is planned to have a fitness and wellness room that can also be used by city staff, along with a roof patio.
The building’s walls will be made of concrete, and the more secure areas will have metal with drywall.
Police Chief David Catton says one of his favorite designs of the new building will be how departments will be more connected to each other.
“Investigations works super close to patrol, those spaces will be shared spaces,” Catton said. “Right now, in our current building, we just have just a division. Investigations can go all day and never see patrol.”
Catton also likes how the building will have a more secure location to drop off those who police take into custody.
FGM Architects expects to have the building finished and the police department moved into it by early 2026.
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